10 back rank mates rated between 1400 and 1599, averaging 1455. Each position below is from a real game, with the solution given underneath — so you can check yourself immediately rather than guessing whether you were right.
A back rank mate exploits a king trapped behind its own unmoved pawns. The pattern is worth knowing in both directions: it is the most common mate in club chess, and the reason a single luft move can be worth a tempo.
These are pitched at 1400-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1400 is one that players around 1400 solve about half the time, so if you are getting most of these you should move up a band.
Solving from a page is good for pattern recognition but not for tracking progress. The rated puzzle trainer serves puzzles matched to your own rating and adjusts as you solve, and the Mistake Trainer builds puzzles from positions you actually got wrong in your own games.
Qe8+ Rxe8 Rxe8#
Nc7+ Kf8 Rd8#
Bd4+ Kh1 Re1+ Rf1 Rxf1#
Qxd1+ Rxd1 Re1+ Rxe1 Rxe1#
Qd8+ Ne8 Qxe8+ Rxe8 Rxe8#
Qxc1+ Rxc1 Re1+ Rxe1 Rxe1#
Qf1+ Rxf1 Rxf1#
Qxc8+ Qxc8 Rxc8#
Qf2+ Kh1 Qf1+ Rxf1 Rxf1#
Rd1+ Rxd1 cxd1=Q#
Train back rank mate puzzles at your rating →
A back rank mate exploits a king trapped behind its own unmoved pawns. The pattern is worth knowing in both directions: it is the most common mate in club chess, and the reason a single luft move can be worth a tempo.
Puzzle ratings work like player ratings. A puzzle rated 1400 is one that players rated around 1400 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1455, so they suit 1400-rated players.
Yes. Every puzzle on this page, including its solution, is free to view with no account. The rated trainer that tracks your progress and serves puzzles matched to your rating is part of Chess Ramp Premium.